Are Lyrica Commercials Realistic?

A mother who suffers from fibromylagia takes her young daughter to a carnival. Together they ride a Ferris wheel, play carnival games and eat cotton candy.

“I learned Lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. So now I can do more of the things I enjoy,” the mother says looking into the camera.

Lyrica is one of just three pain drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia, a poorly understood disorder characterized by deep tissue pain, fatigue, depression, and lack of sleep.

Lyrica is also a big money maker for Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE). Lyrica sales rose 11% last year to $4.6 billion, no doubt fueled by a marketing campaign that includes another commercial that depicts a fibromyalgia patient shopping in a hardware store with her husband.

“I learned Lyrica can significantly reduce fibromyalgia pain, for some as early as the first week of treatment. Now I can do more with the ones I love,” she says.

About 5 million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. One of them is 37-year old Amanda Matos, a Visalia, California woman who was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia as a teenager. She says Pfizer’s Lyrica commercials falsely portray the drug’s effectiveness and what life is like for fibromyalgia patients.

Amanda Matos

“When you see the advertisements, they show all these people that take Lyrica and now all of a sudden they can go to the carnival with their family or they can go fishing. For those of us living with fibromyalgia, that’s not true,” says Matos, who has been taking Lyrica for the last five years.

“I think so many of us feel that it sets the wrong example, not just setting expectations for us, but for our loved ones and our families that look at us and say, ‘Well you’re on that medicine, you should be able to go to the carnival.’ And we’re going, ‘Oh my gosh, it would be such an achievement if I got out of bed and took a shower today!’”

Like many patients on Lyrica, Matos has experienced serious side effects such as swelling, weight gain and blurred vision. She says the drug doesn’t eliminate her pain, but does make it more tolerable.

“My Lyrica makes it so I can get in bed at night. Otherwise I couldn’t get in bed because the nerves are so on fire and it hurts so bad. My Lyrica makes it so I can actually wear clothes for 5 or 6 hours. But I’m so exhausted all the time still that I can’t go out and do anything else.”

Frustrated by the Lyrica commercials, Matos has taken the unusual step of starting an online petition drive to convince Pfizer to change its marketing campaign.

“Pfizer has made millions off of people with fibromyalgia, but they aren’t providing meaningful help for me and the millions of others battling this disease,” her petition reads.

Through word of mouth, social media and fibromyalgia support groups, over a thousand people have signed Matos’ petition.

Many left comments such as these:

“I have had fibro for the past 10 years. I have tried numerous drugs for the pain and so far nothing has helped. I did try Lyrica for about 3 months and the side effects were not worth the little that it helped. The swelling in my legs and feet was unbelievable. In 3 months I gained about 25-30 pounds that I am still trying to get off. There has to be something better!”

“I would not give my dog this drug. I was placed on Lyrica it did not help with my pain at all. I walked around in a fog. It robbed me of my ability to think.”

“I was on Lyrica for 3 years and it did nothing for me but make me gain weight, swell up in my hands and feet, and blur my vision. It did not help the nerve pain for me at all. I’m no longer taking it .”

“I have many friends fighting this terrible disease. Something needs to be done to make medications more affordable, and to provide ones that are actually safe and effective.”

Asked to comment on the petition drive and its Lyrica marketing campaign, Pfizer gave this statement to National Pain Report:

“Pfizer is committed to responsible advertising that provides clear information about medical conditions and treatments,” the statement read in part. “Fibromyalgia is one of the most common chronic widespread pain conditions… but the condition has historically been misunderstood and under-diagnosed. Pfizer understands the devastating impact this condition can have on a person’s life and that, despite the availability of medicines to manage fibromyalgia pain, large numbers of sufferers still experience inadequate relief.”

“We understand that fibromyalgia is incredibly difficult to manage and this is why we encourage patients to work with their physician to develop broad, individualized therapeutic strategies, including lifestyle measures (such as exercise, nutrition and relaxation techniques), behavioral support, in addition to drug therapy. Patients and physicians should always weigh the potential benefits and side effects of medications to decide what treatment options might be right for them.”

Amanda Matos is weighing her options. Recently she began trying medical marijuana and says it’s provided some pain relief. In the coming months, she also plans to wean herself off Lyrica.

Matos wants Pfizer to refocus its efforts away from marketing Lyrica and to concentrate on research at finding more effective and affordable medications to treat fibromyalgia.

“We want to work with your scientists. We want to work with our doctors. We want to work with researchers. We want help,” she said.

“Big Pharma has some decisions that they need to make. If they’re not in contact with those of us that are on the ground fighting this every single day, they’re going to have some surprises come their way.”

This drug is a total waste. I have never been suicidal, nor homicidal, but I found myself plotting both while on LYRICA. For the first time in my life, I had to resort to counseling because I was so scared of myself. I would not recommend this drug to anyone.

I also want to add that I have found relaxation music (sounds, etc) and meditation a very helpful tool when it comes to falling asleep at night. I fall asleep quite quickly, the problem is STAYING asleep for the full night. The meditation and relaxation also helps to control pain, clear your mind and improve memory, helps you to concentrate better. I use the OM HARMONICS/MIND VALLEY ACADEMY….you can go to their website and download a FREE version trial and use it anytime you want…the program does have other sessions to use other than for just sleep (memory, etc) Try the FREE version…they send it to your e-mail…NO OBLIGATION

Like many others I have suffered with fibro for many years before it was ever recognized as an illness…had migraines most of my life and went through more cortizone injections in my back and neck for pain than I can count…even with the pain slowly progressing over the years I was able to raise 4 children alone. I am now going to be 66 years old…I had believed when I reached my “golden years” I would be able to enjoy life after children and enjoy my grandchildren and great-grandchildren…NO WAY!! It is a chore just getting up in the morning and getting dressed. When I have to make appointments or go somewhere I have to plan them all in the afternoon because it takes me so long to get motivated enough to get ready…there have been many, many times I would have to cancel and reschedule or just miss appointments. My children do seem to understand when I complain, however, at times have gotten tired of listening to me and told me not to bother calling if that’s all I was going to do. I am now finding more and more fibro patients to interact with. At times I feel useless, thinking back on all the normal daily things I COULD do and now feel like an invalid at times. I have been on so many medications over the years…therapy, etc. I live in a state that suffers very cold winters and winter is the worst…the colder the weather the worse the pain. This winter alone I have gone to the ER on an average of atleast twice a month for injections for the pain. I have been coming across more and more articles about fibro and finding other symptoms are now related to the fibro instead of other things the doctor’s have been trying to treat me for.
I have gone back on the Lyrica, however, after reading some of these comments here have decided to go back to my doctor and go back off of it. I have been having alot of problems with my eye sight and have an eye doctor appointment, however, now realize it is probably the Lyrica.
I am on oxycodone (percocet) for the pain (10 mg every 6 hrs) between that and the other meds I have days where I fall sleep literally standing up…I don’t dare sit down as I will immediately fall asleep. I found keeping a level in my system works better so I take only 5 mg every 3-4 hours. I have also discovered that, even though it is difficult and I don’t feel like it, if I get moving around in the morning it does seem to help. It seems the more I sit around the worse the pain is. I try to use the stairs instead of the elevator, get out side for fresh air even in the cold weather. I have great difficulty sleeping at night even with my sleep meds…usually get only 3-4 hrs at a time….if I lay around and try to get back to sleep the pain gets worse, so I get up, move around a little, go on the computer for a while, then after a couple of hours will try to go back to sleep…the only problem is that during the day I end up taking several short naps (usually will only sleep for about 2 hrs at a time and wake up automatically). I have even been taking melatonin at night. I have an appointment scheduled with my doctor and have discovered several things in doing even MORE research on fibro that I am going to address with my doctor. I am also taking vitamin supplements that I found is supposed to help with the fibro…
If more people are educated about the effects of fibro there would be more understanding as to the illness….I know it would take some guilt off of me when people don’t think I am just a hypocondriac or being lazy. I pray someday there will be a cure…I don’t know if this is inherited, but I fear for my children, grandchildren and future generations if it is. My children are 45, 43, 41 and 35 and already are complaining of aches and pains.

I have not tried Lyrica. but the commercials are deceiving. I would love to look that happy and pain free. On my good days my husband will ask what is wrong and if I am okay. We need more research and understanding.

Lyrica put me in the ER. I thought I was loosing my mind. It’s more of a poison than medication. That goes for Gabapentin and Cymbalta too. They all cause more unbearable side effects than relief. I’m glad to see I’m not the only ‘guinea pig’ who stopped this so called fibro medication.

I have had Fibro for almost 20 years. Five years ago, I used hypnosis to reduce my pain meds. I also used medical MJ. I currently take 20-30 hydrocodone a month down from 150 a month. I have been in a pain MGT. program for 18 years. I have my medical MJ card, but I am required by Kaiser to do a urinalysis 2- 3 times a year. The MJ has been in my system the past 7 tests. But Kaiser has changed there rules and now are refusing me my Hydrocodone for break thru pain. They say that they are worried about overdose, and this is there new policy. They want me to take Lyrica instead of the Hydrocodene. All I hear is negative feed back. I have resisted, for over a year. I am feeling really pressured to give in. I am suppose to start it in a couple of weeks. Any suggestions.

I was on 2700 mg of gabapentin and could not tolerate it at that level. Currently I am only taking 600mg a day. I started taking Savella last summer and it has been the only thing that has helped make my pain “tolerable”. The only thing that really helps is to take my hydrocodone with it, but then I sleep all the time or am in a huge fibro fog barely functioning. I try not to take hydrocodone unless my pain gets really bad. I have never tried Lyrica, but have tried Cymbalta and that did nothing at all for me. Fibromyalgia is an individual journey for all of us, but please don’t portray ANY med as a miracle drug.

I was on Lyrica for a few months and it affected my eyes really badly. I thought something was seriously wrong. I could barely get my eyes to focus enough to drive. I went to see my regular eye DR and he found nothing wrong with me. I got a referral to see a specialist eye DR who also found nothing wrong with my eyes. He told me to get off Lyrica and low and behold my eyes were fine after a month off of it. I wouldn’t recommend Lyrica to anyone!

I held off any meds for the first 13 to 15 years, then fell victim to the hype. When I was on Cymbalta and Lyrica together I had every single side effect and know why you’d have suicidal thoughts. Actually mine were more homicidal! After quitting both and eating Nutrisystem for a year I took off most of the nearly 30 lbs and now rely on over the counter pain relief. The commercials lie and are just to drain money from desperate people suffering terribly. There’s enough of us so lets all join together and finance our own research!

Not only did Lyrica make my Fibro pain worse, it caused HOTRIBLE side effects for months, even after I weened myself off of it! This medication, nor ANY MEDICATION WHATSOEVER, gives people suffering from Fibro, complete relief, like this RIDICULOUS commercial and since we have an invisible illness and don’t “look sick”
already, we’re already labeled as “lazy, hypochondriacs, attention-seekers, drug-seekers, mentally ill” etc., and your commercials claiming to pop a pill or two each day and having some happy woman prance around like she’s “cured,” just makes it worse for us to get the hell we truly need.
Do something!! This is absurd and wrong!! You people disgust me and one day when one of you becomes ill with a chronic “invisible illness,” (which I would wish upon NO ONE, but it doesn’t discriminate!!), I hope you remember the hell you’ve put all the millions of other SICK people through each and every day, by your horrible medications and false advertisements!!
Again, do something! Fix this!!
Sincerely,
Anna McCullough

My doctor tried Lyrica for my fibromyalgia several years ago — even before the FDA approved it for Fibro. The side effects were so bad that she not only discontinued the Lyrica — she put it on my list of drugs that I can NEVER take again. Whenever any new prescription is written, Lyrica appears on the print-out in the list of my “forbidden” medications. And that list shows up at the bottom of my list of current meds, so other doctors know not to prescribe it.

I agree! My kids saw it advertised and told me that I should ask my doctor for that so I could start doing things like that with them and the grandchildren. When I told them that I had already been on it and what it did to me, they said that the advertisements can’t be wrong! Yeah, right!! They have no idea what we go through and add rheumatoid arthritis with Fibro and we are really in a bad way. People that do not have Fibro do not have a clue as to what we are going through on a daily basis! I do not wish Fibro or RA on my worst enemy!! BUT….I do wish that people would be more sympathetic to what we do go through. The ads are so very misleading and in no way would I ever take Lyrica again as the reactions I had from taking it were horrible. I realize that it may help some but it does not help all!!

Research, research and more research is needed. Please listen to us! Even doctors need to be educated on Fibromyagia. I’m tired of seeing commercials that are false, because then my family and friends think I should be able to so those things.

I took Lyrica two different times the first time, my “only” had swollen legs and a 30 pound weight gain. then I went off of it since I don’t have health insurance. The second time I got it through Patient assistance Program from the company. That time It made me see things and hallucinate that there were bats in my house, It made me itch like crazy, and I thought there were things crawling on me. It was so bizarre I thought I was in a horror movie. I had been taking it for about 6 months.

I have had Fibromyalgia for about ten years. I was just diagnosed last year. I have horrible muscular-skeletal issues with it along with other symptoms. My PC has me on Cymbalta which is an approved drug for Fibro. She did not want me on Lyrica at all due to the side effects. None of these meds are a magic pill. My pain is lower, but itIis still there. I was very surprised at the Lyrica comnercial myself; showing a mother walking around. Fibro affects everyone of differently, although Fibro symptoms and charcteristics are somewhat the same. I do not believe that Pfizer should pinpointonly one aspect of its marketing. I know it has to start somewhere and mist campaigns want advertizing to make money for the company. It did what it set out to do. The problem lies in the fact that onlt a tiny percentage of women or men who have this chronic condition would be able to say that they were adequately represented by the women in the commercial. For the majority of us who do have it, we woyld love to be able to be that woman. It is just not true even on the meds. Most our days are fraught fighting pain that is through the roof and on a good day, we might be able to put our feet in the floor and make it five unbalance d steps to the bathroom. It is a fight we do not seem to win very often. I also have to go to PT and have Dry Needling procedures done. It helps me be a bit more mobile than some. Look we also fight huge amounts of negativity from family, friends and the medical community who do not understand. We have a voice. We just need it heard and listened to. Hey, we will not give up on each other.

False information in commercials make it hard for us to have family and friends believe that what we go through is real. They see the commercial and then look at you and say you should take this and you will be fine! We struggle enough and don’t need the added complications.

I tried lyrica a year ago but due to the loss of hearing in my left ear it left me dizzy and off balance and did nothing for the pain. I hope and pray that a cure or even relief is discovered and affordable enough for those of us that need it can obtain.

My doctor switched me from Gabapentin to Lyrica several years ago. I gained nearly thirty pounds in a matter of weeks. And Lyrica did not help me more than Gabapentin other than I did not have to take it as often. I returned to Gabapentin….which is also a lot less expensive because it is generic. Oh….and it’s been, like I said, several years since I took Lyrica. I still have been unable to get the weight off. And that extra weight has caused me to have more joint pain and more foot pain. My health issues make exercising nearly impossible so a drug that causes such dramatic weight gain for someone who cannot become physically active is simply awful. Just awful. Gabapentin is not perfect but it does the job (as much as possible) without some of the side effects.

Lyrica did absolutely nothing and I have suffered with Fibro for over 20 years. I have yet to meet a doctor that can help or a drug that takes away the pain. I had a seizure while taking Lyrica and they told me it was an anti-seizure medication. It was a big joke on me. I am glad it happened in the produce section of the grocery store and not on the road that I took to get there.

There are so many symptoms of fibromyalgia. The varying types of pain is just one symptom. Lyrica only addresses that symptom. Not the whole range of other symptoms. The commercials for Lyrica are doing a disservice to those of us suffering from fibro. The advertisements completely minimize the disease by claiming that the disease is just about widespread pain. Trust me i understand the goal of advertising and you want folks to buy in on the drug. But I ask you to change the advertisements to say “ONE OF THE MAIN SYMPTOMS OF fibromyalgia is widespread pain” and that “taking LYRICA CAN HELP MINIMIZE THAT SYMPTOM”. Instead of implying that all there is to fibromyalgia is the pain. Your drug is not a cure. It treats one aspect of this disease. Please advertise more responsibly!!! Stop giving people the wrong press ion about what we have, or what the disease entails. Also many people take Lyrica and still have the range of pain symptoms and are unable to get up and do the kinds of things pictured in the commercials after taking the drug. Be more realistic and responsible with your commercials. Thanks.

It may be of interest for patients to look at the NNT value for Lyrica when it is prescribed to people with Fibromyalgia.

NNT = number of patients needed to trial with a tablet for one of them to report a 50% or greater reduction in pain when the drug is compared to placebo. The more effective the drug, the lower the NNT.

For Lyrica in a total daily dose of 450-650 mg the NNT value is about 10.

Therefore, one will need to treat 10 people with Fibromyalgia before 1 person will say it is a “good” drug. The other 9 people will stop taking it.

The other side of the coin is the NNH value – the Number Needed to Harm.

Ideally, we would like our drugs to have a very high value NNH.

For Lyrica the NNH for adverse event withdrawal (compared to placebo) is about 10. For every 10 patients treated, one will withdraw because of an adverse effect.

The NNH value for drowsiness is between 6-8, and for dizziness the NNH value is about 4.

I tried Lyrica about 6 years ago. I had tremendous relief from pain, it changed my life. I also gained 25 pounds in about 6 weeks. If that side effect could be removed I would take it again in a heartbeat. It is the only thing that ever made any difference.

I’ve been on Lyrica for ‘off label use’ since 2008. I also have FM and degenerative disk/joint and my spine was crushed in a car accident in 2007 so I have a bunch of metal stuff in my back holding me together. I’m on 900mg/day along with a host of pain meds/muscle relaxers. The first time I started on Lyrica, I gained 20lbs in the first 2 weeks!! I was mortified as I constantly worry about keeping my weight down so there’s less stress on joints & back. During those 2 weeks, I noticed a dramatic decrease in pain in my right hip. After careful consideration, I decided to try Lyrica again. 3 weeks in I had added another 25lbs. I get disgusted by my increased weight (now 40lbs and holding!) and go off, the pain in hip comes back so I end up back on it. It’s the only med that has touched the pain in my right hip. If I want to have manageable pain, I have to risk side effects (not just Lyrica, but all the meds I’m on) or I can just succumb to the pain which doesn’t have a happy ending. I pray they find some treatment/meds that will give enough relief to have a normal-ish life, especially as both of my daughters (23 & 26) are showing early signs of arthritis. I want them to be able to enjoy life, not suffer through.

I have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. The doctor gave me lyrica and it was horrible. I swelled, I itched and when I did sleep, the nightmares were horrible! I think that the ad they have on tv is a big joke! No way does lyrica help fibro in ANY form or fashion. I finally just stopped taking it and told the doctor to find another medication. Apparently I was not the only patient that he had to make complaints on taking lyrica. If your doctor writes a prescription for this medication, do not fill it and waste your money. They need to change the ads on this. If I knew of petitions to sign, I would sign each and every one!!

I have had FM for over 14 years, most likely caused by an immune altering clinical trial for terminal Cancer, which saved my life. I have tried all three approved medications with little , or no , perceivable pain relief. Besides the usual side effects experienced by most users , my blood pressure shyrocketed after three to four months on the meds, Lyrica not excepted. I had to quit the meds and it took over six months for my BP to come back to near pre med levels. The doctor and med representative surmise the elevated BP is the result of : The drug reacted with normal male hormones or it reacted with the Cancer medicine in my system. Thus far, I have found nothing for relief from the anguish and pain of FM other than to try to keep moving and do something to keep the mind occupied and off the pain and fatigue. Yes , I hurt constantly, am very sore and fatigued, and often times depressed, but my family is worth the effort to try to keep going and not give in to the depression. MIND OVER MATTER IS THE ONLY WAY I AM ABLE TO KEEP GOING ! God Bless all you sufferers of this dreaded silent ,invisible affliction.

I wish that the ads for Lyrica properly displayed results for fibromyalgia patients taking this drug. I have had this horrible disease for 15 years and Yes, I did try Lyrica………..I attempted to take it several times starting with the lowest dose possible…The side effects were horrible. NO, and I mean NO one drug or even multiple drugs taken together can make you suddenly able to go about your daily routine. I personally know over 50 people with fibromyalgia and only one takes Lyrica……………..but she mixes it with alcohol to get any type of relief. Please Pfizer…………stop tryin to sugar coat your drug and put more effort into finding a cure……………There are millions of us suffering!!!!

Take a look at what Lyrica is. Mostly Gabapentin. I have many doctors over my 30 years with fibro and not one of them has ever suggested I take Lyrica. Good because I wouldn’t do it anyway. No designer drugs…long term affects are not studied well enough for me.

I was put on Lyrica for FM in December 2010. Six months ago I started decreasing my dose in half due to the swelling in my legs and feet and plan to quit taking this medication. No Lyrica patients…No Business…No profit.

I was on Lyrica for six months. At first it helped some with the pain, but within six months it quit working altogether and I had gained over 50lbs. The problem with the Lyrica commercials is that even in the best case scenario, it may help the pain, but it certainly won’t do a thing about the crushing fatigue, in fact it can make that worse. So the carnival thing is just ludicrous. I eventually started using medical cannabis, which actually helped quite a bit more than the Lyrica ever did, without the awful side effects.

No one has commented upon the simplistic explanation of Fibromyalgia – “overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain.” The punch line is that “Lyrics calms these nerves.” Nice story and slick marketing! But it seems to be way off beam, as evidenced by the many responses posted on this website and those received by Amanda.

I tried lyrica years ago and swelled so bad in my legs and feet. I have had fibro since I was a teenager. It is not letting up and nothing seems to help it. Your ads are so misleading. I’d give anything to be able to do those things, I can’t even stand for more than 5 minutes at a time because of my back. Please provide appropriate advertising and also, please come up with a drug that will work!! Not just with the pain but with the chronic fatigue that is so overwhelming with it. Thank you.

Your commercials are unrealistic:I had fibromyalgia for almost ten years and they put on Lyrica and all it did was made me gain a lot weight & swelling in my feet, legs,face. I’m 30 yrs old with a 8 yr old and there are no fun trips her! Sooo who is your commercials for????

Lyrica gave me double vision. The commercials you show about the relief it gives for fibro are as dumb as the Tylenol relieves arthritis so much I can go dancing commercial. The best I can hope for is an occasional good day and the rest of the time pain I can bear. Even IF I were prescribed something that works my Medicare based insurance will replace it with a generic that does not work. SOOO sick of drug companies, insurance companies, doctors and being sick!

Truth in advertising. Show an actual patient, diagnosed with Fibro, actually using Lyrica, and show the reality of Fibromyalgia. Lyrica is not a cure all that allows for a person in extreme pain to jump out of bed and go to a carnival. The expectations of advertising do not mirror an accurate reality of what this med is claiming to accomplish and that is unethical and quite frankly, I think criminal.

I was given this drug in ever increasing doses, took my self off. TOTALLY inappropriate for FM, they should be looking for a viral link in my opinion, how can so many people worldwide be afflicted with FM and nothing is being done. I am outraged that the World Health Organisation are looking to give this a mental disorder classification

Please please please Pfizer we fibromyalgia people need more research done. The commercials on TV are ridiculous. My doctor prescribed Lyrica for diabetic nerve pain and fibro. It helped neither. The side affects were horrible. I began to gain a lot of weight (and I’m tall and thin), blurred my vision, no appetite and was so fatigued it was difficult to even think straight. I took myself off of Lyrica. It was expensive, even with insurance, and I decided my life was worth more than being a guinea pig. That’s what we fibro warriors are because there is not enough know about this hidden illness. I don’t believe it should be called “hidden”. Fibro completely changes us from “normal” to something that is startling and hard for others to even understand. There is no hard evidence it helps fibro. It disgusts me how your company makes false advertisements. We all suffer so much and your “magic” pill made us hopeful. Only a very few may find relief taking Lyrica. The pain and other symptoms that go along with fibro are more often than not unbearable. Ask yourself, would you want your wife, sister, mother or any loved taking Lyrica. I’m sure the answer is an strong NO. Get your researchers in the labs to find a medication that definitely works or better yet find a cure.

I find this actually comical ,I have had Fibro for 13 yrs now,These drug companies are NOT in the business to cure you or your loved ones from illness or disease.They are in the business of profit and making money for their stock holders ,So do not hold your breath waiting for a cure you’ll die first !!!! Try alternative medicine if possible Good Luck finding a cure lol

I have been suffering fm symptoms for 2 year. I started lyrica 6 months ago and my life has changed dramitacly. I can now do the things I use to do before the pain started. I have had no swelling, no blurred vision and no weight gain. I believe it’s a mirical drug. It gave me my life back.

Every single time that woman comes on with that kid and is WALKING unaided, just strolling like nothing is amiss, I want to put my fist through the tv screen. Who are you kidding Pfizer? I know who you are TRYING to kid, but those of us with this disease are smarter than you think. Do not attempt to sway our families or us into thinking this is the ultimate drug for fibro. I assure you, it is not, although it IS one of the more expensive drugs. How many BILLION have you taken from us and our insurance companies?
Why? If any of your family members have fibro, why don’t you have a blind survey and ask THEM how they feel about the drug and your commercials?

Same goes for rheumatoid arthritis commercials. So many of us are still suffering an fighting to live normal lives. My trial with Lyrica was put 2 a stop when the side effect of being so fatigued, felt like I was drugged, and was on the highway on my way to work, a 50 mile commute. I was close to just giving in an going to sleep behind the wheel. Hard to keep my eyes open. The ads make you look like a fool. As if you’re sitting on your butt an don’t want any help to your family/friends. I took this or that now look at me, running, golfing, etc. Stop! Get realistic, not greedy.

This sounds so much like me. I took it for 5years. I gained so much weight, was an office manager for a health department for almost 23 years. I lost my job because I could not function at work. My family made me get off Lyrics. I still have problems but my brain is working better.

The Number Needed to Treat (NNT) for pregabalin in dosage 450/600 mg daily is 10. This means that when the drug is prescribed to 10 patients with a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, only one will report significant pain relief compared to a placebo drug. This figure was arrived at by examining 1940 patients trialed on pregabalin for 8 -14 weeks. [Straube et al. Rheumatology 2010.]

I get so upset every time I see one of the Lyrica commercials. I have had fibromyalgia for many years. I’ve been on Lyrica for about 2-3 years. I’ve been lucky. I don’t suffer from many of the severe side effects, and I don’t have as much pain as I had. But for it making you able to “do more of the things I enjoy” is SO misleading. It does nothing to alleviate any of the other symptoms which usually are the more debilitating. I will continue to take Lyrica as long as it works for me. But put some of this money into researching Fibromyalgia for real relief, or hopefully for a cure. Please.